


in my paradise

by Niiflheim



Category: Don't Stop Me - Malloy/Knight
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Multi, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, apple cyder but not rlly, i apologize for the furry thing you see if you scroll down, i like angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:41:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29320320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Niiflheim/pseuds/Niiflheim
Summary: samson awoke to the scent of fresh blood, to screams and ringing in his ears. deep eyes set forth on the scene unfolding below him; a sharp inhale rose in his chest."we have to do something."- or, the commentators: past, present, future.
Relationships: Cyrus Abraham/Zander Valle, Grace Wexler/Tye Spring, royshanna (don't stop me)/nicki (don't stop me), samson (don't stop me)/mo (don't stop me)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. hanging out with the foxes and the hounds

**Author's Note:**

> hi i cant believe we have crackfics before this anyway enjoy

_ pitter patter pitter patter _

mo ran across the petrichor-laden sidewalk, his childlike rubber boots kicking up asphalt and seven hour old rainwater. he frantically waved a hastily stapled-together packet above his head; running, laughing, tripping over his own feet. "i got it! guys! guys its here!" he sped past pedestrians and cars, weaving through the city streets determined. a few carhorns were sounded in his general direction; but that only made him grit his teeth in a secretive smile and blow past; jacket flapping off his hips in the early morning wind. 

his eyes locked on ahead to a pair of kids ahead of him- crossing onto mangrove st. from the corner; the young man stick-like and short with fresh-greased blond hair; the girl not much taller but a bit more wideset- dark skin and close-cropped brown hair wrapped in a low bun. 

"guys!" mo called again, lunging forward to catch up; gaining traction and jerking forward, sandwiching himself between the two of them and practically yanking out the girl's headphones. she gave a small wave and spread out. he was triumphant as he held forth a slightly crimped piece of paper - a print out of a rather long looking email; the top of which read:

From: topekaadmin@aol.com 

To:  mfisher@pshs.net

subject: its on.    
  
they gathered around to read it together - crowded and cramped and probably blocking pedestrian traffic; smooshing their heads together to per at the print out. mo could have forwarded it to them the night he received the email; but of course he had to go about it this way- he spent the night spamming the groupchat with cryptic messages and pictures about how he 'couldn’t wait to walk together to school tomorrow’ to garner hype; something that his friends weren't all to thrilled about; but he found it funny. 

the email was lengthy, yes; but it was rather easy to pick out the parts that were necessary. a low cost, contact with the dj from the first danceathon, technological requirements- it all seemed pretty straight forward and easy to handle. it seemed like it was almost too good to be true. here it was, though. in this email. 

“oh! mo...this is amazing!” the girl- jaynie, cheered. “and, uh…” she tilted her head, her curly hair falling to one side of her neck, bobbing up and down as she bounced on her toes. “the student council approved this?”

samson, the other boy- nodded, himself, stepping back to give the other two some more room after that rather cramped moment in time. “i believe they did. they must have…or else we would have been ejected by now...right?” there was a twinge of hesitancy in his usually boisterous and announcer-like voice, a flash of uncertainty in his bright, excitable eyes.    
  
jaynie shrugged, her tone seemingly as hesitant as her other companion “i’m guessing?” she tilts her head back, rolling her shoulders. “i’m sure we will be fine.” she gulped. “i’m sure we will figure it out today.” her breath was heavy and warm; hinting at a nerve she was reluctant to share with the group.    
  
“i’m sure the student council president is on our side.” mo smiled; trying his best to cheer them up. his arm wrapped around samson’s shoulder, the shorter boy immediately brightened up; his stance immediately melting into a form more relaxed. “and hey; this is a reason to celebrate. breakfast on me.” mo winked; a small giggle on his lips.  
  
twenty minutes later he darted into a cafe, and ten minutes later he reemerged with grease-sown bags of hot cheesy breakfast sandwiches and steamy cups of black coffee.   
  
as the cars whizzed past, they stood on the corner of race and millerman, laughing and eating and talking and drinking- quiet, tranquil. lovely. all nervousness seemed to melt away at each bite, each sip, each word, each hearty chuckle.   
  
the light turned green.    
  
they continued down the streets; whooping happily; spring in their step. jaynie had covertly slipped on her headphones; which were immediately slapped off by samson- who stuck his tongue out mischievously and sped up down the sidewalk to avoid her comically frightening wrath. 

the two of them kicked up rainwater and dead leaves as she chased him all the way to school; the fresh smell in the air heightening as mo tread their footsteps and crunched over the leaves they rush-scattered over the pavement; hands in his pockets, a breathy giggle in his lungs and a roll in his eyes.    
  
his shoulders relaxed as he folded up the slightly damp email and stuck it in his raincoat; slicking his poof of dark hair back. 

the road narrowed; the brown-gray asphalt transitioning into a cold gray stone pathway; ruddy-brick buildings coming into view past the poststorm morning haze.    
  
the school gates swung open. 

sharp. mo inhaled. 


	2. half hearted reasons why we'll only be friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> help two chapters in one day i’m Going Insane

samson bounced on his toes eagerly; mo rested his foot on the wall, jaynie aimlessly scrolled through her phone; the three of them in complete silence. waiting was terrifying; especially now as they were awaiting the approval of the student council. samson didn’t see why their plans wouldn’t be approved- everything was laid out in the email the admin had sent; organized and clearly planned out for them in ways that were extremely easy to understand.

samson had never communicated directly to the admin themselves; but what he heard from mo’s technological jargon-speeches; they seemed like a rather agreeable and competent admin. planning this entire danceathon had been nothing but an amazing stroke of good luck; the pieces had fallen into places so gracefully- it was almost a miracle; it came exactly when they needed it.

he cracked his neck and leaned back; short hair sprawled around the back of his head on the locker behind him; crossing him arms and closing his eyes; pondering. what...who is this admin? wouldn’t they have found a better job to do then sit around all day answering questions about a event they ran fifteen years ago. he would have been more cautious if mo hadn’t been so eager about this. oh; the way his eyes shone when he first proposed this idea to the student council; the way the boy’s warm cheeks flushed in determination as he promised them to continue his research and inquiries.

he could feel his own face getting warm and his eyes drifting toward his taller companion- samson gave a resigned sigh and wiped his brow; coughed to regain composure. “s-so...we’re uh...waiting here...for a long time.”

“yeah…” jaynie’s voiced cut in awkwardly; she fixed her bangs and straightened up. “council must be slow readers…” she giggled softly in her usual way; rubbing the bridge of her nose behind her glasses. “those pretentious little a-”

the door swung open; a teacher in a smart suit walked out. “de leon, edison, cooper?” he questioned; eyes scanning the hallway and nodding curtly as he saw them. “come on in.” he tossed his head to the back and widened the door for them.

the three students exchanged nervous glances as they entered the room. an upperclassman motioned for them to sit as they pulled up a chair across from them.

“we’ve decided to let you hold the competition.” he started, and as jaynie was about to answer; he held up his hand. wait. “on one condition.”

“yes?” she arched her brow; eyes narrow and misty behind her glasses.  
“you’re gonna run it. we aren’t gonna hire an emcee; you three will have to figure that out yourself. we will let you hire the dj that you wanted, but that’s it, no more professional help.”

  
samson was oddly saddened by this deal; he...he wanted to compete. and- and maybe ask mo to be his partner. but- guess this good luck streak had to end. this was the only way they could plan the only event of the year.

  
so; with a heavy heart he didn’t stop the other two from talking out the technical details.  
____

  
it was already late in the evening when the meeting was over; it seemed like it went on forever between the technical discussions and the presentations and the small talk- samson grit his teeth and shifted as he sat at the table- a half eaten plate of beef kebabs in front of him.

  
jaynie and mo were finishing up their food; smiling and talking and considering this night a win. and samson was back to thinking.

  
he found it odd that they had never talked to the dj they were supposed to hire. if he was that important to the overall experience of this type of danceathon, why did mo never talk about him ? or talk about talking to him- he looked pretty experienced; and uh...old? something seemed off about his age- he looked the same in the old topeka pictures and the more recent ones on his resume.

  
there he was again, over analyzing everything! god. he just wanted to scream at himself.

  
_it’s fine, samson. you’re just upset. projecting. yes. you are projecting. this is ALL because you want to dance with mo.  
_

fuck; even though...his priorities were completely screwed up; a sense of dread still clawed at the back of his mind. was..could there be something more shady at play?

he didn’t trust everything completely yet.  
but maybe all of this was samson just being petty….


	3. everywhere i go is home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im unstoppable

“i win.” jaynie fanned out her cards and flick-lay them down onto the low table; revealing a luck winning hand. “good game.”

the two boys sitting on her left clapped softly; their eyes dim with exhaustion. it was that time of night where all emotion just went out the window as it got later and later; the church tower from across the street rang out the three am bells and the three of them exchanged exasperated glances as the realization of how long they'd been up.

  
around 10 pm the day before, they all piled into the living room of samson’s house; awaiting a series of very important emails from the topeka admin; logistics, more accurate pricing; the handbook. tonight was the night that they were supposed to get that handbook; and of course, mo wanted their support when it came.

and so here they were. three am. no handbook-carrying email to be seen. jaynie yawned and pursed her lips. she sighed; downing the last of the coffee and falling over, head slamming the table with a resigned sigh.

“jay, you good?” samson inquired; reaching out and rubbing her back gently. he clicked his tongue and smiled slightly in the skewed way he usually did; the imperfections of his face highlighted by the low light of the chilly early morning.

jaynie let out an exhausted groan. “ugh...if icarus decides to punt themselves into the sun in the next couple days; I’m making them take me with them…” she pulled herself up heavily and fumbled around for samson’s coffee cup; which she immediately downed in one gulp. “i hate it here. i want to fucking go to sleep.”

“jaynie!” mo exclaimed with a stifled laugh. “if you want to fall asleep right now, be my guest!’ he tossed a pillow to her; which smacked her in the face. she picked it up and shrugged- hugging the pillow close to her chest as she rocked back and forth in her seat.

in truth; this harshness wasn’t her beng rude or unkind; teasing and joking with them had just become common place and the way they interacted had fallen into a pattern. jaynie liked that; after her…

uh; no need to dwell on that and make her grief worse; she could feel herself begin to tear up. truly though; their routine and somewhat more cardboard cut out dynamic brought structure; it brought a sense of warmth that she hadn’t felt in a while; the quiet rage she felt for those two idiots was the way she expressed her love towards them.

a sudden gasp brought the girl out of her introspection. “ah! its here! okay!” mo’s voice was breathy and high; laced with excitement. ”ah... “ his voice suddenly got way more resigned. “there is uh..a lot of stuff here.”

“how many pages?” jaynie called back; stretching out across the table- sneakily purloining mo’s coffee cup as well. “can’t be that much…”

“no, there’s hundreds of pages. guess i have a lot of reading to do..”

“good luck, heh.” she hummed teasingly, smiling and winding a curl around her finger.

mo stuck his tongue out. “most of it looks like useless fluff...sensational PR, contract details; etcetera.” he hummed aimlessly as he scrolled. “i’ll look into it tomorrow; i guess.” he shugged; his voice somewhat hesitant as he seemingly looked to the other.

jaynie made eye contact with the de leon boy, shrugging in response. ‘I don’t know, dude- you were gonna handle it!” she sounded..slightly bitchy; but that could be justified by the dull ache in her head from staying up until the early morning for nights and nights.

  
“alright, alright…” he rased his hands in defeat. “i’ll do it- sorry,”

jaynie let a resounded sigh crawl out of her throat. “i-its okay, mo- i’m just...hhhh...” she hissed sharply through her teeth. “i’m sorry…”

___

  
jaynie clenched a wrench in her teeth as she gathered her hair in her hands to twist into a bun. tool belt tied hastily around the hoodie also tied around her hips; she slipped on gloves.

the three of them; samson’s little siblings, and mo’s dad had all gathered in her garage, blueprints and scrap metal strewn about every which way.

she breathed deeply; a soft inhale rising in jaynie’s chest. they were doing this. construction was happening. this was the final piece. the research was done, the dj hired, the gym reserved. this contraption; frankly, jaynie had no idea how it worked. (the tech stuff was mo’s specialty)- but it could only mean one thing.

  
confidence swelled; heightening her stance proud.

they were doing this.

it was beginning.

and the three of them? classmates to childhood friends to the rec committee to...whatever this was. uh..commentators? sure.

they were gonna rock this.


	4. a look so quick, a movement so slight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what are tonal shifts

mo exhaled in a deep, nerve relenting sigh; rolling his shoulders back and cracking the tight bones in his neck and collarbone-blades.

he stood before the empty gym; the only light illuminating the building: though the wide open door. it was peaceful; still- the calm before the exciting storm that will bring students from all across the town. at this moment; however. it was still. silent. tranquil. his stance seemed to relax as jaynie and samson approached the swung-open doorframe. jaynie would survey the area; purse her lips slightly. samson adjusted his sleeve and clapped his hands slightly. “alright g-”

heavy footsteps spliced the awkward semi-communication and a dark-cloaked form pushed through the three of them; directly shoving and rather disorienting samson as he was slicking extra hairs back. he was an adult man, dark-haired and somewhat spindly. he was much older than the three of them; and barely even gave them the time of day; dark eyes only slightly glancing at the three of them for a second from behind wide black framed sunglasses.

mo stifled a playful giggle as he watched the man continue up to the little platform that the dj booth was haphazardly placed on. though; as he watched the usually calm and composed edison girl cup her mouth to prevent her usual cute snort- laughter from escaping her chest- he sort of let himself snicker to himself.

of course, his own laugh inspired the contagion of laughter to push harder against the resistance that jaynie was attempting; causing her to push against his shoulder with one arm and cradle her stomach in the other.

“he’s so ru-ahahahaha…” jaynie was in hysterics. “the- the way he-ahahahahaha…”

samson crossed his arms across his chest, smiling snarkily as he raised an eyebrow. “jaynie i’ve never heard you laugh like that in a while. maybe i shold get a pair of stupid sunglasses like that if it makes you laugh that hard…”

she shakes her head, wiping the skin under her eyes; letting out a rather laugh-infested groan.

“j-jaynie!” mo startled. “are ...are you crying?”

she shakes her head rapidly, “No...no. I’im f-bwahahahaha…”

  
mo was resigned to see the girl had taken another look at the man looming above them; setting up his own equipment. the taller boy shakes his head and latches onto jaynie’s arm. “c'mon. you. need to. sit down.” he practically dragged her over to the booth.

___

mo was about to dart out to the vending machine when the older man looked up. “hey. you. tech.”

“me?” mo shot him a look and pointed to himself.

“yeah, you. mind bringing me a dmx cable? five pin, 50 meter . “ he looked back down; averse to eye contact with mo.

“oh uh...sure…”

___

“five pin dmx…” mo repeated to himself as he sifted through the crowded equipment room; a room that was badly disorganized and in need of a massive clean out. the box of dmx cables were placed ever so slightly on a top shelf; one that mo could barely reach.

the boy took the box down and began sorting through the mess of tangled wire and tieline, where were the five pins? did their dj already use them all? he was getting more and more frustrated...  
when he head a rumbling.

at first he thought nothing of it; but as the door slammed behind him with what could only be a sudden gust of wind localized in the hallway through the windows.

a sense of dread overtook him as the cabinet started to fall forward ever so slowly.

his breath heightened with a sharp hiss as he dashed for the door; lunging forward to roll over; his weight against the flimsy structure swinging it wide open; sending the boy tumbling and rolling down the stairs. dmx in hand; he shook his head to reorient himself and rushed back to the gym.

“oh uh…” he noticed the man staring at him from behind those dark glasses; just the look of him made mo cringe in an unsettling way. “here’s the cable, sir.”  
“ah; good. tell me, was it hard to retrieve it? i hope i didn’t cause you too much trouble.” his voice was smooth; cold, calculating-

“i actually; had a lot of trouble- something closed the door and i was almost cr-”

“...crushed?” samson approached him; protectively linking their arms. mo’s face reddened slightly.

“yeah; crushed. but i...got out. i’m okay.” he gently ruffled the blonde boy’s hair.

“is that so…” the man; who had sat down somewhat gracefully; purred with that same silky voice; though he visibly grit his teeth. “....wonderful.”

the two boys exchanged nervous glances.  
___

the room was full, about two hours later. the hot beam of leds and the crowd was sweltering; haze of grainy evening light leaking through the windows. new and old faces conversed as mo watched over the slow ratings ; rise and fall, rise and fall.

samson adjusted his tie, humming. “theyre all here. lights out in 3.”

“alright. we’re gonna do this, guys! lets give em a good show!” jaynie cheered, flipping open her laptop.

mo could see samson’ shoulders raise and bring the microphone to his lips.

he looked back at the dj one more time before relaxing- the man not even glancing upwards.

samson stood; and the anxious and excited crowd of teenagers hushed.

“welcome...to the first annual…”


	5. walk the gauntlet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back Help

there was an uproarious cheer as the lights swept over the room with a white-hot glow and the music started at a low; the blank walls of the gym suddenly alight with color and life. samson could see the twenty or so contestants; each with their own skills, desires and goals; all united in dance and song. he watched how they swayed their bodies to the beat of the song and imagining how their heartbeats would pulse in sync and how the light illuminated him and his fellow companions. companions that deserved the rays and beams to highlight their features. 

jaynie with her dedication and passion, her hilarious quips and ever growing arsenal of anthropological facts, how she had dealt with so much in her youth. watching her tuck a hair behind her ear, he was thrown back to the endless nights of her running through the cold and rain to samson’s house- appearing on the doorstep sopping wet and shaking- how she would cry into his mother’s shoulder as she...told of things no eight year old would ever have to go through. pride swelled in his chest as he saw her face; peaceful and warm as she scrolled on her computer; the soft smile on her face proof that she was healing… mo with his...uh...well- everything about the taller boy impressed samson; his childhood wasn’t a cakewalk either- unstable home life, a divorce; nights he too spent on the old air mattress samson always kept in his room for him- the two of them grew up together; his mom always joked they were like brothers; a joke samson found inaccurate and rather uncomfortable, considering…

he immediately hid his face as he felt it warm up; ah- embarrassing in front of the uh... contestants; huh- he cleared his throat a bit; his voice immediately raising to a rather bombastic tone; fitting of an announcer. gesturing to the crowd; he begins the vibrant speech the three of them had rehearsed and laughed through and procrastinated in the weeks prior; though of course- they all had their VERY SERIOUS GAME FACES ON. 

...it only made them crack up once. 

that was a win, in samson’s eyes.

the guests started milling and talking again; their excited chattering and mingling making samson smile wider; seeing people meet each other and enjoy each other made him so warm inside; that was a good out of being forced to commentate; he got to see everyone’s spirits high and keep their spirits high. 

though his shoulders had relaxed; something in him sent a chill up his spine as he began to introduce the dj they had hired. he seemed so detached and cold and serious; something that one doesn’t expect a dj to be; none of the djs at any of the parties he had been to carried that aloofness. and...and the way the crowd seemed to go silent as he spoke; almost as if they were under some spell of some kind...he had never heard of this dj- why was he so...famous and commanding? had he really been living under a rock when it came to the uh...party world or whatever?

he’s probably just...really serious about his job… thought samson, biting his lip in hesitancy. that’s it...that’s it. what else would he be? an fbi agent? no...that kind of thing was only in movies...

ah. no use...speculating; he concluded. whatever happened with that guy would surely make an interesting broadcast, yeah? he nodded- continuing the opening speech and trying to shake that fear away from his chest. it’ll be fine; he kept trying to tell himself- if not for the friends flanking him; the doubt may as well have crushed him. 

his shaky voice slowed as jaynie flashed him a thumbs up as the three of them continued to rattle off rules and facts; his confidence fueled by hers and vice versa- samson could observe as she straightened her posture up as well.. ans that cycled back to samson- he waved to mo- who was adjusting things around the dj booth as the demonstration went on. 

a scowl tugged at samson’s lips; seeing mo- focused so intently on helping that man- he wasn’t safe: oh- he wanted t scream for him get out of there; samson almost never trusted his gut; but something...felt wrong. in the words of casual conversation ..the vibes just weren’t it.

he couldn’t bear the thought of mo getting hurt ...but- the show; must go on- he didn’t even notice how he stumbled over a line that jaynie was quick to pick up and save rather gracefully.   
though he cycled from scared to confident; his shoulders did seem to relax again as mo descended the stairs and rejoined him.   
he closed his eyes as the airhorn blew right in his ear; his hearing ringing as it ended.


	6. yes, i believe that you will you see a better day.

loud; the airhorn rang out, a shrill, laborious sound in the ears of the youths gathered below; jaynie pressed her hands to her ears as she could almost feel herself get blown off of her chair by the volume and impact of the noise. with a press to the glasses on the bridge of her nose and a slow cough; she reassumed control of the situation with attempted grace. “ahem.”  
  
breath rose in her chest and seemed to weigh down on her heart; the last of the ringing in her ear making her blink a few times to keep her eyes from leaking too many tears. she lay her head in her arms on the desk, groaning softly.  
  
why here. why now. why. she thought she could handle it; she thought she would be okay with the strobes and the horns; they had checked in with her before and she said she could stay strong for them. though at this moment she felt frail as a leaf; trembling softly and instinctively pressing up close to samson. 

almost on cue; he blinked and whipped his head down to her; and soon he kneeled by her side; a hand on her back. “you’re shaking.” he noticed, rubbing gentle circles on her back. “do you need to take a break?”. his eyes darted towards the contestants talking and laughing and preparing. though they seemed awfully chipper in the warm light; his eyes were focused vigilantly on jaynie, who lifted her head- peeking behind hair shimmied out of the tight buns it was in. she sniffled back fear and fluid; rubbing her red-rimmed eyes harshly. “no.” she shakes her head softly. “i’m fine. i’m fine. i told you i would be fine...so im fine.”  
  
the blonde sighed heavily, his eyebrows arched sympathetically. “go to the bathroom, jaynie. please...you don’t seem fine.” he stood up. “the two of us are capable to handle everything right now if you need.”  
  
“you sure?” her voice was crackling; wordless, breathless. she tilted her head to look up at him ever so slightly. “i-i’m sorry…”  
  
“it’s okay, it’s okay…” he hummed softly, leaning down to touch her forehead with his. “go uh...clean yourself up or whatever.”  
  
____

_click.  
  
the bathroom stall door locked behind her as she crumpled to the floor; leaning her back against the metal door behind her. _

_inhale one two three._

_exhale one two three.  
  
her vision is clouding, spinning, distorting her gaze as her eyes fill up with tear after tear; drenching the sweater-sleeved arm that she brought up to them to shield her face. she presses her knees into her chest and whines; memory after memory filling her mind like her breath rose in her lungs; gunshots and sirens mixing with the airhorns in her mind- it hurts the memory hurts its just all way too much she should be stronger by now she must have gotten over it by now it happened when she was so YOUNG-  
_  
___  
  
“uh, is someone here?” a voice seemed to pierce the fear circling her head and clear the mist; jaynie reached for the latch with shaking hands.  
  
  
“oh...yeah.” She stood up and walked out, cleaning her glasses on the end of her sweater.. “hi? who are you?”  
  
the girl who had entered was rather short; with long braided hair and a rather intricate skirt; a delicate corsage placed on her wrist. “hey; is everything okay…?”  
  
“y-yeah. i’m fine.” jaynie was lying; she was never a good liar, but she tried- can’t let your contestants know that you...have emotions? no; thats not the right term- why can’t she think right now…

she wiped the last of the tears away from her eyes and straightened up; shifting awkwardly and clearing her throat. “uh...so are you enjoying the danceathon so far?”  
  
“oh!” she also seemed to shift in her stance a bit, rubbing her arm awkwardly, “uh...yeah; fine enough. my uh...boyfriend is uh..a bit prudish, i guess?”  
  
jaynie let out a soft chuckle.  
  
“h-hey! i like him a lot!” the braid-haired woman protested, going red in the face.. “i’m just...slightly too old for this. it’s kind of awkward.” she reached out a hand for jaynie to shake. “i’m dakota by the way. nice to meet you; uh...sorry about...whatever you were having a breakdown about...believe me, i’ve had many in this exact bathroom,” she shrugged. “might be a plain springs rite of passage by now.”  
  
“thanks.” jaynie gave a sad smile, taking her hand. “ah; i’m jaynie. have a uh...tolerable time out there, i guess.”  
  
“i’ll walk you back to the desk.” she offered. “i don’t want you to uh...dissolve again when you get back out there.” she didn’t let go of the girl’s hand.  
  
jaynie felt comforted slightly- the waves of anxiety subsiding a bit. as she reentered the gym she subconsciously latched tighter onto dakota; the older girl gently rubbing the inside of her palm.  
  
___  
  
“oh!” samson smiled, seeing the two girls approach the table. “hi jaynie, feeling better?”  
  
“i guess…” she shrugged. dakota gave her a warm thumbs up, returning to the main floor awkwardly. jaynie’s brow curled sympathetically. she felt...a little bad for dakota, all things considered. must be annoying to have to drag her boyfriend around.  
  
jaynie sighed softly; resting her elbows on the table.  
  
she seemed calmer; seemed...much more at peace at this moment; slight confidence swelled in her chest.  
  
...then it happened again. the airhorn.  
  
she saw dakota’s head whip around to lock eyes with jaynie, a sympathetic glance flashing.  
  
jaynie swayed a little, falling braced onto samson’s shoulder.  
  
he gently pat her head, straightening her up a bit. 

she smiled sadly, shaking her head to clear it. 

“looks like the first heat is about to begin!”


End file.
